-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
Getting to Know Your Designer
In this issue, we examine how fabs work with their design customers, educating them on the critical elements of fabrication needed to be successful, as well as the many tradeoffs involved. How well do you really know your customer? What makes for a closer, more synchronized working relationship?
Economic Headwinds
In this issue, the biggest names in PCB manufacturing share their economic outlook for the upcoming year and beyond. As you will see, they were all bullish on our industry, but there was some apprehension as well. No one wants to get burned by another the supply chain disruption.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
The March of Disruptive Technologies
April 18, 2018 | Dan Feinberg, FeinLine Associates, Inc.Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
There have always been disruptive technologies; thousands of years ago, fire totally disrupted the path of mankind. I have heard it said that truly disruptive technologies are like earthquakes on the seismographs of history.
Some are so like old news to us living in the latter part of the first quarter of the 21st century but think what the world would be like if there had been no iron smelting, truly disruptive back in 1200 BCE, or gunpowder discovered by accident by a Chinese alchemist back in the 8th century CE. How about something as simple as using latex to create rubber a few hundred years ago?
There can be no argument regarding the disruption caused by the development of the use of moving electrons to generate power with credit going to Benjamin Franklin, followed by Edison, Volta and one of my favorite tech heroes, Nikola Tesla. Did you know that in 1891, Nikola Tesla invented a device that could transmit electricity through the air? It could power lightbulbs and electric motors wirelessly, but only at a distance of a few feet. It may have been short range and inefficient, but it was 1891 after all.
No one can dispute the disruption to civilization’s path caused by the invention and development of heavier-than-air flight started by the Wright brothers’ first 12-second manned flight over a century ago (Figure 3). And as time continued to march on, there were vacuum tubes and basic electronics (I=E/R) then nuclear fission, in the 1930s followed by the transistor and the microprocessor in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
There can be little doubt that the rate and pace of disruptive technology has gone from an immeasurable crawl to a run and now to what is approaching supersonic speed.
Before we begin discussions on a few of the most disruptive technologies of the present day as well as what is right around the corner, for those of you who are as interested in disruptive tech and what it will do to change the look of civilization as we know it, let me recommend some light reading, you might like: Dan Brown’s newest novel, Origin[1]. If you read it, let me know what you think.
OK, enough background, let’s look at some of the most disruptive technology of the present and soon-to-be future. I have discussed virtual reality in recent articles, so except to state that it is clearly on the list, we are not going to cover it again here, but we will continue to watch and report. In addition, I feel that autonomous transportation is also in the top five, and I will be covering it in detail in the April issue, but one of the enablers for autonomous cars, trucks, etc., is another great disruptor, artificial intelligence. AI is kind of a catchall used to mean different things to different people.
It basically means computer systems that can learn by themselves. There are different phrases to describe it such as deep learning, machine learning, deep influence and so forth, but all talk about how a computer can learn. One of the leaders in AI technology and computer hardware, NVIDIA, defines machine learning as “the practice of using algorithms to parse data, learn from it, and then make a determination or prediction.” For example, the NVIDIA computer controlling an autonomous vehicle (Figure 4) gathers data from its myriad sensors and then parses the data and decides the direction to steer and avoid the obstacles in its path. It allows the vehicle to safely arrive at its destination in spite of the thousands of other changes and moving vehicles along the way. An excellent video published by NVIDIA describes all the different things that AI actually is. You may wish to take a few minutes and watch it[2].
Let’s talk economics. It is estimated that in just over a decade AI will contribute over $15 trillion to the global economy. It is expected to add 14% to the North American GDP by 2030. By 2027, just under 10 years from now, the AI-driven autonomous vehicle market is expected to be worth $127 billion. As stated earlier, much more on autonomous driving next month.
To read the full version of this article which appeared in the March 2018 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Devan Iyer, Industry Leader on Chips Packaging Technology, Joins IPC
03/18/2024 | IPCDevan Iyer, Ph.D., one of the semiconductor industry’s leading technology experts, has joined IPC as its chief strategist for advanced packaging. In this newly created role, Dr. Iyer leads IPC's work with leading electronics companies and governments to identify and deliver news solutions to IPC members and the industry.
Omron to Showcase Inspection and Factory Automation Solutions at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
03/18/2024 | OmronOMRON Automation Americas, a global leader in industrial automation solutions will be exhibiting at IPC APEX 2024, taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center from April 9th to April 11th. Attendees are invited to visit Omron's booth #2647 to hear how AI powers Omron’s latest technology, in addition to learning more about our newest X-Ray inspection machine, the VT-X850. This new 3D CT X-Ray inspection system is designed specifically for electric vehicle (EV) surface mount technology (SMT) manufacturing lines.
LPKF Receives Major Customer Order in Solar
03/18/2024 | LPKFThe technology company LPKF Laser & Electronics SE has once again received a major order in the solar market, continuing its long-standing successful collabo[1]ration with a leading international manufacturer.
Northrop Grumman Honors Suppliers for Excellence
03/14/2024 | Northrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Corporation honored more than 70 suppliers for their outstanding contributions in 2023. In an annual recognition event, the companies included women-, minority- and veteran-owned small businesses as well as those operating in underdeveloped areas.
Qualcomm Announces Shortlisted Teams for the Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge 2024
03/13/2024 | Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, today announced the shortlisted companies for the Qualcomm® Vietnam Innovation Challenge 2024 (QVIC) program.